“It's Adopt the Internet Day!”

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 02:12 AM PDT

Happy 15th Birthday to Petfinder.com! As I mentioned last week, Petfinder has dedicated this day to pet adoption. In honor of their 15-year milestone, today is Adopt the Internet Day! This adorable little Dachshund to the right is Sienna, and she is just one of the adoptable pets featured in Petfinder's Adopt-the-Internet All-Stars gallery.

Today, dozens of bloggers all over the web are talking about pet adoption today, and you can, too. Tell your friends, family and co-workers about the thousands of adoptable pets available right in their neighborhood. That's right - chances are your local animal shelters and rescue groups have thousands of wonderful pets right now just waiting for their forever homes.

I think it's safe to say that just about anyone who has adopted a pet has a beautiful story to tell. I am also willing to bet those people are thrilled about their adoptive pets. Last week I asked for some dog adoptions stories that I can feature today, so here are a few of my favorites:

Chance Always Puts a Smile on My Face

Pam Keim writes about finding her Catahoula, Chance. Here is a summary of her story. You can read Chance's full story here.

Chance is a pure bred Catahoula Leopard Hound who has been deaf since birth. He was adopted through Petfinder.com in September 2007. I have always adopted dogs from rescue groups or the "pound". After I put my dalmatian mixed breed down, my other dog was seriously depressed. I searched on Petfinder.com and found the listing for Chance. The original breeder was going to put him down shortly after he was born because he is deaf. The prior owners took him in so he would not be put down but then gave him up when he was 7 months old because he was "out of control". He just needed more exercise and a stronger human leader. He never fails to put a smile on my face. Read Chance's full story here.

With Tintin, It Was Love At First Sight

SwedeRic tells us how Tintin found his forever home. Here is a summary of their story. You can read Tintin's full story here.

Tintin was adopted in February 2001 in Chiang mai, Thailand. Tintin was 13 months old when we met her -- when she found us! She had been bought by a teenager as a toy for his little sister; when Tintin was no longer a puppy, she was cast out. She had been terribly abused, and was malnourished so her teeth are pretty awful to look at. She found us while we were visiting a friend who had retired and moved to Thailand. Getting her back home with us to Sweden was expensive and complicated, but we would do it again in a minute. Tintin is loving and gentle, except with rabbits. Happy to meet strangers. Patient with children. Obedient, unless a rabbit scoots past. Read Tintin's full story here.

Toby - From Street Dog to Companion

sfountain tells us how Toby came into her life. Here is a summary of their story. You can read Toby's full story here.

Toby was adopted in September 2007 through a foster organization called "STARS" (Save the Animals Rescue Society). Toby was found wandering the streets by the Humane Society. His hair was all matted extremely unkempt. They had to shave him to get the matted hair off. He was turned over to a rescue organization, STARS and they had him neutered, got him up to date on shots and put him up for adoption. I saw him in an ad on the internet. He would be at a local pet food store on Saturday from 11 until 2. I had a friend over and she went with me to look. I told her we would wait until 10 minutes to 2 and if he was still there, I would adopt him. He was still there. He did not bark for three months. I didn't think he could. Today, Toby is very sweet-natured and loves to please. He loves to play go fetch your bone and sometimes he plays with it by himself. If he loses it, like under the sofa or under a cushion, he lets me know to come get it for him by barking one bark and then standing near where the bone is located. Read Toby's full story here.

As you can see, these are just a few of the touching adoption tales out there. I even posted my own adoption story. Along with Petfinder, today is also the birthday of my own darling senior girl, Chloe. She turns 16 today! Read Chloe's story here.

If you didn't get a chance to tell your adoption story yet, you can still share it anytime. Submit your story here. We would love to hear it! Don't forget to check out all of the other great adoption tales submitted by readers like you.

So, if you decide that you are ready to get a dog, I urge you to seriously consider adoption first. You can begin by checking out Petfinder's Adopt-the-Internet All-Stars gallery, where 415 adoptable angels are ready and waiting. Could you be the forever home for one of them?

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011